Save North Sea sole and plaice

[Fishing Forum Admin]

EU aims to save North Sea sole and plaice

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - EU fishermen may have to cut their catches and time spent at sea in the next few years when they scour the North Sea for sole and plaice , two flatfish that risk disappearing from these waters after years of overfishing.

A long-term plan presented by the European Commission on Tuesday targets fishing fleets from five EU countries with measures that aim for 10 percent fewer fish caught each year until the numbers of both species return to sustainable levels.

"Fishing for sole involves a lot of accidental catches of plaice. Both stocks are overfished," Mireille Thom, the Commission's fisheries spokeswoman, told a news briefing.

"The fleets concerned come from the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the UK and Denmark," she said.

The Commission's proposal will be presented to EU fisheries ministers in the next few months for their approval.

Scientists say plaice stocks in the North Sea are worryingly low since fishermen discard so many of the fish, to the extent that the species may already have problems reproducing itself.

Sole, at current fishing rates, "is expected to fall outside safe biological limits in 2007," the Commission said in a statement, implying that the species might disappear in the North Sea if current trawling practices were not curbed.

To boost the species' chances of recovery, fleets would be limited in the number of days they could spend at sea fishing for sole or plaice, it said. Imposing such limits has become standard EU practice in recent years to prevent overfishing.

And to minimize short-term disruption to coastal communities that depend on fishing for their livelihood, the Commission would not recommend cuts, or increases, to annual permitted catches of more than 15 percent than the previous year.

[meolsman]

It sadly looks like the north -sea is becoming a no- go-zone!!

[..::Pike Pirate::..]

if the north sea becomes a no-go zone for trawlers i might be the happiest man alive lol...the angling would get loads better

[gullyworm]

I give up, the MPs are a waste of time.
They will do something but by then it will all be to late.
Sorry to be a pesamist (think thats how its spelt) but Cod,the northsea,etc etc has had it.
JOIN GREENPEACE,AT LEAST YOU KNOW THEY WILL TAKE DIRECT ACTION AND NOT JUST TALK AND MOAN ABOUT IT.